Manga in Japan has been a thriving industry for decades now. With many major anime series coming to an end, fans are now looking for the next big hit manga series to replace the established ones once they are animated. While the anime and manga industry is filled with some very interesting new series, largely from Weekly Shonen Jump, other popular manga in Japan deserve to be explored through an anime adaptation.
Anime Japan 2026 has just revealed a list of manga series that the Japanese want to see animated. The results may surprise many, especially as none of the manga series presented are even known to the average manga reader abroad. Nevertheless, with this event, these anime series may be animated in the coming years.
“The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen” Wins AnimeJapan 2026's “Manga We Want to see Animated”
Anime Japan is one of the most anticipated anime and manga events that happen every year, and in 2026 it has been as exciting as ever. Recently, this event revealed manga series that fans in Japan would love to see animated in 2026. Much to the surprise of all fans, the manga series that won the number 1 spot for the “Manga we want to see animated” section is called “The devastating ordeal of being seen”. This manga is fairly new, from 2024, and has yet to establish itself as a hit, especially overseas. But apparently it already has a dedicated fan base in Japan.
Winning this event will definitely be huge for this series. If sales continue well, it could definitely get an anime adaptation in the next few years. This award definitely puts it on the radar of anime studios, as well as international fans, at least.
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The devastating ordeal of being seen is a manga series by the writer and illustrator known as MMK. It's been serialized for a while in Shogakukan now, and in English it's been picked up by Viz Media. It has 5 volumes at the moment, and it's still ongoing, with no signs of ending anytime soon. This romantic and sexual story may catch the attention of many manga readers, but it definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea either.
Other Japanese manga series fans want to see animated include Strikeout Pitch and Ketsu Battler
While the number one winner overall was The devastating ordeal of being seenAnime Japan 2026 revealed a top 10 list. Many other series that did not win first place also received some recognition. However, just like number one, these manga have yet to gain enough recognition outside of Japan. Regardless, they could continue to be huge worldwide in the coming years if anime studios pick them up.
Aside from The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen, the top three consist of Streout Pitcha series by Kyu Sumiyoshi, as well Ketsu Battlerby Naotaka Takada. This is definitely an interesting list and one with great potential. Streout Pitch began in 2024. Now, over a year later, it has accumulated about four volumes. The series focuses on baseball and follows the story of Heita Kobori, who acts as the captain of Yokohama Soha High School's baseball team. He meets an odd person, Fusetsu Kiriyama, who for some reason can only pitch properly three times a day. The two aim to reach the citizens at some point.
Ketsu Battleron the other hand, is a much less serious story. Densuke, the main character, cannot grow stronger despite training a lot. However, he stumbles upon a mysterious sword that he wields between his buttocks. These series are definitely unique in their own way, and fans can see how they made it into the top 3.
The rest of the top ten, from number four to number ten, consists of the following manga series:
- Utsurain Desu by Ruka Konoshima
- #Crazy x Crazy Yuri by Inoue
- On and off: Work-life imbalance by Shinnosuke Kanazawa
- Liar! Gokuou-kun by Makoto Yoshimoto
- Dinosaur reserve by Itaru Kinoshita
- Gokurakugai by Yuto Sano
- Centuria by Tohru Kuramori
Fans should give at least some of the manga series on this list a chance because they might surprise them.
Source: X
